Definition

Girls enter puberty between the ages of 8-14. Boys enter this stage between the ages of 9-14. When this stage is late, it is called delayed sexual development.

Causes

This condition can be caused by:

• Constitutional delay—some children simply take longer than their peers; they will catch up at some point
• Chromosomal abnormalities:
  • Turner syndrome (girls)
  • Klinefelter syndrome (boys)
  • Prader-Willi syndrome (boys and girls)
  • Noonan syndrome (boys and girls)
• Hypogonadism
• Kallmann syndrome
• Hypopituitarism caused by infection, trauma, and central nervous system lesions

Risk Factors

Factors that may increase the chance of delayed puberty include:

• Family history
• Underlying disease:
  • Type 1 diabetes
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Kidney disease
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Anemia
  • Chronic infections
  • Anorexia nervosa
  • Malnutrition
  • Cancer
  • Autoimmune disease
• Other factors:
  • Radiation therapy
  • Chemotherapy
  • Athletes undergoing vigorous training

Symptoms

One common symptom for both boys and girls is shortness in height. Other symptoms by gender include:

• Symptoms in boys:
  • Lack of testicular enlargement by age 14
  • Lack of pubertal maturation by age 14
  • Sex organs that don’t completely develop within 5 years after they started to develop
• Symptoms in girls:
  • Lack of breast development by age 13
  • No breast tissue or pubic hair by the age of 14
  • Lack of menstruation for five years or more after initial breast development
  • Failure to menstruate by age 15-16

Diagnosis

You will be asked about your child’s symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done. Your child’s milestones and growth record will be reviewed. An x-ray of the left wrist bones may be taken to assess bone age. This will help to assess if bone development

is normal for your child’s current level of pubertal development.

Your child’s hormone levels may be tested. This can be done with blood tests.

Images may be taken of your child’s bodily structures. This can be done with:

• MRI scan
• Pelvic ultrasound (female)

Treatment

There is often no treatment for those who are healthy and just starting later than their peers. They will continue to be monitored.

Other treatment depends on the cause. For those who have a chronic underlying disease, treatment is aimed at the specific condition. After the condition is treated, puberty often begins on its own.

For others treatments may include:

Prevention

Most causes of delayed sexual development cannot be prevented. To help reduce the chance, make sure your child maintains a healthy lifestyle. This includes making sure your child is eating well and getting nutrients. Make sure any underlying illness is treated.

Healthy Children—American Academy of Pediatrics http://www.healthychildren.org

Caring for Kids—Canadian Paediatric Society http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca

Delayed puberty. American Academy of Pediatrics Healthy Children website. Available at:
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/puberty/Pages/Delayed-Puberty.aspx
Updated May 11, 2013. Accessed June 4, 2014.

Delayed puberty. Nemours Kid’s Health website. Available at:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/changing_body/delayed_puberty.html
Updated August 2011. Accessed June 4, 2014.

Female delayed puberty. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:
http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed
Updated July 15, 2013. Accessed June 4, 2014.

Male delayed puberty. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:
http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed
Updated February 7, 2012. Accessed June 4, 2014.